


Someone You Loved

by SneetchesToo



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Future Fic, Gen, I hate tags, M/M, don’t throw things
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:28:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29706828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SneetchesToo/pseuds/SneetchesToo
Summary: ”And I tend to close my eyes when it hurts sometimes, I fall into your arms. I’ll be safe in your sound ‘til I come back around.Three years after Michelle left Austin she never expected she wind up there again.*Sequel to Captain Strand*
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Grace Ryder/Judd Ryder (9-1-1 Lone Star), Michelle Blake & Carlos Reyes (9-1-1 Lone Star), Michelle Blake & TK Strand, Michelle Blake/Owen Strand, Owen Strand & TK Strand
Comments: 14
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *This takes place in the future, roughly 3 years after the end of Captain Strand. I have obviously fudged the timeline slightly, and I basically just wanted to be able to skip over the disaster that is season 2. This is my way of taking out the trash.  
> **The first 6 chapters are very Michelle & TK centric, so bear with me.  
> ***Don’t throw things, please, I promise there’s a happy ending after all this madness.

**August 2023 – Austin, Texas**

TK was almost certain that this last run was going to be the one that did him in, the one that finally drove him to insanity, the one that would finally convince him to tell Carlos that he was insane for wanting to run in this stupid First Responders Marathon next month.

Maybe if he blacked out in the park from exhaustion his fiancé would get the point and would stop making them train so rigorously. 

He doubted it, but maybe.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he let out a breath of relief when he realized that he had finally finished his five miles, allowing himself to slow down as he took some cool down breaths before stopping to lean against a bench to stretch out.

He had been halfway through his normal stretching routine when he heard a squeal from his left, watching as a kid who was no more than three came barreling across the grassy area and onto the sidewalk.

He waited to see if a parent would come chasing after the tot, but he was most certainly alone and TK’s instincts kicked in as he watched.

And then, just as he suspected, the kid bit the dust on the sidewalk and tumbled to the ground, a cry leaving his lips as his head nearly missed the pavement.

TK didn’t have to think twice before pushing himself up and running over to the boy, kneeling beside him as he spoke softly.

“Hey buddy, it’s okay.” He watched as the kid pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, his head remaining down as he sobbed. “Are you hurt?”

He was almost certain that he had, at the very least, scraped a knee or two, but he wasn’t sure yet.

The boy finally lifted his head and TK did a double take as he shook his head at the eerily familiar look in the eyes that were currently staring back at him softly.

“My knee.” The toddler plopped to his bottom and stuck his leg out, pointing to the large bloody spot on his left knee, a whimper leaving his lips as he straightened his leg. “It huuuurts.”

“I bet.” It had been a while since TK had had an injury like that, but he remembered that biting the dust on pavement had always been the worst kind of pain. “I’m a paramedic, that means I help people. Can I look at it?”

He waited as hazel eyes stared back at him, searching his face for a sign that he should trust this strange man who just happened to stumble upon him.

“Yeah.” And then he was nodding his little head, causing his brown hair to flop into his face, an exasperated sigh pushing the locks back up and out of the way. 

TK examined the wound, careful not to hurt the boy any more as he himself winced at the amount of blood leaving his little knee.

He knew it was no more than a flesh wound, but that didn’t change his concern, especially given that he had yet to see or hear an adult looking for the boy.

“Hey buddy, what’s your name?” He figured that searching the entire park would take a while, but he certainly wasn’t going to just let him wander around alone, especially given that he probably wasn’t going to want to walk anytime soon.

“Westley.” He whispered, his eyes filling with tears as his little lip quivered. “I want my mommy.”

“I know pal.” TK pushed himself to stand, reaching down to scoop the boy up. “Let’s see if we can…”

And then he heard it, a voice that was all too familiar, especially in it’s panic.

“Westley! Westley!” He didn’t have to lift his head to know who was going to be coming over the hill in search of the squirming toddler in his arms. “Oh thank God.”

He watched as the realization struck the panicked mother, her eyes going from fear to uncertainty to familiarity in seconds.

“Mama!” Westley started trying to throw himself out of TK’s arms and he smiled softly as he set the tot down, watching as he stumbled forward and into his mother’s arms. “I missed you.”

TK wondered if he should make himself scarce now, if he was going to be able to avoid a surely awkward situation between him and a ghost from his past.

But then the woman was standing, the boy perched on his hip as she stared back at him.

“TK…” The voice was soft and low, just as he remembered it, her eyes holding the all to familiar softness he had once been familiar with. “Thank you so much.”

“Yeah, no worries.” He scratched at his head as he tried to calm his nerves, the instinct to run away growing stronger by the second.

He never thought he would see her again, and much less with a little boy.

“It’s um… it’s good to see you.” She whispered, her head moving to rest on that of her son’s.

“Same here.” He wasn’t exactly sure that ‘good’ was the word that he would use, but there it was and he guessed that things could be worse. “I should… I should get going, I have a shift in a little bit.”

That was a complete lie, he wasn’t working for the next two days, but she didn’t need to know that.

“Okay.” She nodded her head as she wrapped her arms around her son tighter. “Thanks again.”

TK simply nodded his head as he turned his back to her, letting out a breath as he made his way away from the pair, his hands shaking as he tried to process what he had just done.

Michelle was back.

Michelle was back in Austin with a little boy who looked way too much like himself for it to be a coincidence.

His father was never going to believe this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TK needs to know how long Carlos has known that thing that he doesn’t want him to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Again, sorry the first half of this is very Michelle/TK heavy, I promise there's more characters coming!

TK had rushed home from the park, not even bothering to let Carlos know that he was heading his way.

No, instead he broke more than a few traffic laws as he raced away from what had to surely be a dream.

But then again, he was very well aware of how awake he actually was, especially given the pain in his shin from that five mile run.

As soon as he had pulled his car into the driveway he was undoing his seatbelt and practically throwing himself out of the door and down the sidewalk.

He skipped the steps and jumped onto the porch, opening the front door with as much as angst as he could muster.

Thank goodness Carlos was in the kitchen, he didn’t know what he’d do if he had to go searching for the man.

“Did you know?” He stumbled over his words, watching as the other man turned away from the sink and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Excuse me?” Carlos was confused and if TK wasn’t so frantic right now he might find it sexy.

“Michelle?” A look came over his fiancé’s face that wasn’t hard to miss. “Did you know she was in town?”

“No.” He didn’t know whether to believe him or not.

“Did you know she has a son?” His heart was pounding in his chest as he tried to control his emotions, his hands shaking as he moved into the kitchen. “She has a son. A son who appears to be just the right age…”

“Yes.” He didn’t know what Carlos was agreeing with, but he let out a sigh. “Westley. He’ll be 3 in October.”

TK felt a wave of emotions hit him like a ton of bricks and he fell into the bar chair at the island, his head falling forward as tears stung at his eyes.

He knew what this meant, he wasn’t stupid.

That little boy was his father’s son.

Which meant, that that little boy was his little brother.

“He’s…” He already knew the answer, but he really, really needed to hear someone confirm it.

“He’s Owen’s son.” It was like he had just been punched in the throat, all the air leaving his lungs as he felt the threat of darkness hit him.

This couldn’t be happening right now.

“You’ve known this whole time?” He didn’t want to be mad at Carlos, he knew that if he had been keeping this secret all this time that he had a damn good reason for it.

“Yes.” TK swallowed as he finally lifted his head to look at the man across from him.

The hurt in Carlos’ eyes was real and he suddenly felt bad for being the least bit angry about things.

“What happened?” He just wanted to know the truth, he had to know.

“I just…” He knew that Carlos was probably afraid of betraying Michelle’s trust, but it was just him they were talking about here, surely Michelle would forgive him for wanting to know why he had been robbed of almost three years of his little brother’s life. “You can’t tell your dad okay? That has to be her decision.”

TK nodded his head as he swallowed.

“I won’t.” If Carlos was asking him to do this then he had to respect that.

“Do you know why Michelle left Austin?” His fiancé’s voice was calm and soothing and TK was shocked, he figured that he’d be a mess, just like him.

“No.” He honestly didn’t know why, he just knew that she was here one day and then the next she was gone.

“She was pregnant when your mom came to town.” He didn’t know what that had to do with anything. “Your dad knew…”

“Oh…” Oh? Oh… that wasn’t good. “And yet?”

“And yet, he jumped into bed with your mother without hesitation.” TK was confused, that didn’t sound like his dad at all.

He may have been flirty and cocky, but he wasn’t a cheater.

Or at least, TK didn’t think he was.

“Your dad and Michelle got into a fight, like, a day or two after your mom arrived. I don’t know what it was about, she never told me. The next thing I know, they’re broken up.” He didn’t know that they had actually broken up, but he guessed that maybe that was why his mom and dad were suddenly very into each other again. “Michelle tried to stay, but she knew that things were going to shut down soon with COVID going around and so she got a bus ticket to Oregon and that was that.”

“So she just left?” He didn’t understand, why didn’t she say something?

“I guess the fight was bad TK, I don’t know, she was really broken up about it.” Carlos looked hurt by the events that happened three years and he wondered just how much of this was his father’s fault. “Then your parents were together and it just… I think she knew.”

“Knew what?” He didn’t understand how he had literally been the last person to realize that his parents were sleeping together.

“She knew that she’d never match up.” What the hell was Carlos talking about?

His dad loved Michelle, of that much he was certain.

And he could only imagine that if he knew she was having a baby he would have been over the moon.

“That’s crazy talk, dad loved her, he still does.” The other man shook his head back and forth with a sigh.

“She never doubted that TK.” But clearly she doubted something. “She knew though that whatever love he had for her would never hold up to the feelings that he had for your mom.”

“But they hated each other! Jesus Carlos, even after mom got pregnant all they did was fight. Why doesn’t anyone believe me when I say that?” He had spent months trying to convince everyone that his parents weren’t as happy as they seemed together, but no one, not even Carlos or Judd, had believed him.

“That’s not the point.” Carlos looked defeated and TK let out a sigh as he leaned back and scrubbed at his face. “Michelle didn’t want to fight for your dad’s attention, and she didn’t want to raise their child surrounded by the constant reminder that he didn’t care about them.”

“He would have cared.” He whispered, his eyes closing at the words. “He would have cared.”

He knew his dad had his issues, but he had loved Michelle and that hadn’t changed.

He would have stuck by her, Gwyn or not, and TK knew it.

“It doesn’t matter now.” Carlos shook his head as he leaned back against the counter. “Once Michelle got to Oregon she couldn’t leave. She stayed with her aunt and that was that.”

“And her son?” He wanted so desperately to know every detail of his little brother’s life.

“Westley was born 6 weeks early.” TK snapped his attention back to Carlos, the sound of the despair in his voice making his heart sink even further into his chest. “Because of COVID Michelle couldn’t do much, just sit by him in the NICU, all alone. She was afraid to see anyone, to go anywhere, so she just stayed there. She was either in that rocking chair or at her aunt’s place.”

“She should have called.” He would have gone to Oregon and quarantined himself and done whatever he had to do to help her.

Westley was his brother and Michelle had been his friend, his family, he would have done whatever he had to do.

“She was scared TK.” There was something in Carlos’ eyes that made his stomach turn. “She had really bad postpartum depression, like, bad bad. She went through a lot and she got lost in her own head. And with Wes being sick, it just drove her further down that dark road. She asked me not to tell, begged me even, to keep it a secret from everyone here.”

“And you did?” Carlos would protect that woman with his life and TK had known it from the second they met.

“I had already lost one Blake sister to mental illness Ty, I wasn’t about to lose another.” There was a tear rolling down Carlos’ cheek before either of them knew what happened and TK found himself standing, moving to the other side of the counter as he reached out for the man.

It was the first time that Carlos had mentioned Iris since her death two years ago.

The first time he had mentioned Michelle since then as well.

“I wanted to protect her TK, I had too.” He sounded so broken and suddenly TK understood. “She had no one and I couldn’t break her trust. I couldn’t lose her.”

“It’s okay Carlos.” He pulled his fiancé into his arms then, hugging him tightly as he felt strong arms wrap around his waist, the other man’s head going to rest against his shoulder. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

They stood that way for a few minutes before Carlos pulled back, wiping at his face as he took a deep breath.

“I tried to encourage her to come back, but she refused.” There was a tone in his voice that told TK there was more to the story than just a simple ‘no’. “Wes was born on the day your mom miscarried TK, October 4.”

Well that was a goddamn stab in the gut if there ever was one.

“She called me that night to tell me that he had been born and that he was in the NICU fighting for his life and she was just crying, balling her eyes out.” TK remembered that day all to well and it was hard to think that Michelle had been suffering for her own reasons as well. “I was gonna tell her, when we had our weekly call the next night, but after she told me he had been born I couldn’t do it. I just… it didn’t feel right. So I didn’t say anything.”

“Does she know?” He could only imagine that that would make things incredibly awkward if she believed that Owen had another child, roughly the same age, running around out there.

“Yes.” TK let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. “I told her, a few weeks later. She asked, how your mom was doing, ya know? So I told her. It broke her heart. For you, for Owen, she felt bad that she had just had a baby and your mom was going through all that.”

He nodded his head as he let the reminder of what had happened sink in.

“Then two days later your mom was back in New York and your dad was walking around like it never happened.” He swallowed as that sank in as well.

“Yeah, well, the baby wasn’t his so…” He would never forget when his mom had finally broken down and told Owen that he wasn’t the father.

He assumed that she didn’t think that he and Tommy could hear their conversation, but the walls in their house were actually, very, very thin.

He had pretended not to know, as had the paramedic captain, but then Owen had become distant and so they had confronted him.

He had felt sick that he had been excited, that he had actually believed that the baby was his.

And then he felt even worse when he remembered that he had mourned the death of a fetus that wasn’t even his to mourn.

Gwyn had been on a flight to New York by the end of the week, promising to send Christmas cards and call again soon.

It was Easter of 2021 before TK talked to her again.

He wasn’t sure if it was because he was mad or she was, but their relationship hadn’t been the same since.

“Look, TK, I know this is a lot.” He was snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Carlos’ voice filling the space of their small kitchen. “I’m sorry that I kept this from you. I’m sorry that Michelle kept this from, well, everyone.”

“So you’re the only one who knows?” He couldn’t believe that she hadn’t told anyone.

“Judd and Grace know he exists.” Okay, so there was that. “If they know that he’s Owen’s… well… they’ve never said anything.”

“How could they not know Carlos, the kid looks just like me?” It had been like looking a mirror earlier when he had met Westley at the park, and he couldn’t get the image of the boy out of his head now.

“They’ve never said anything.” Carlos shrugged as he started pacing back and forth, a sure fire sign that he was losing it. “They respect Michelle too much, maybe they just know it isn’t something they should do.”

He could see that, and after all, the couple had enough things to worry about.

“This is so…” He sighed, his eyes closing as he leaned back against the island.

“You have to promise me you won’t tell your dad.” He snapped his head in Carlos’ direction. “Please TK, that has to be Michelle’s doing, she has the right to be the one to say something.”

“How long is she in town for?” Because, believe it or not, it was very likely that she would run into the man somewhere, or into another member of their crew who didn’t have such a good track record of keeping secrets, like, say Mateo.

“I don’t know.” He stopped his pacing as he stared TK down. “I didn’t know she was here.”

“She didn’t tell you?” He had a hard time believing that, unless of course, she was trying to surprise him for something, like his upcoming promotion to Sergeant at work that he claimed to know nothing about.

“No. And that’s not like her.” TK sighed, this wasn’t good, she couldn’t possibly just visit and act like they didn’t all exist could she? “She hasn’t been to Austin since she left. Not even when Harlow was born. Not even when Iris passed away. She said coming, home… she said it hurt too bad.”

He couldn’t believe that she hadn’t been back, but then again, he understood.

New York had been his home his whole life, but after visiting his mom there right before things got bad, he hadn’t been back, and he honestly doubted he ever would.

“Something must be up then.” And unless Carlos knew something he didn’t know, it wasn’t public knowledge that he was getting this promotion, so he wasn’t even sure that Michelle would have been informed.

“Look, TK, don’t… you can’t get involved in this.” He huffed as he gave his fiancé a look. “I’ll call her tonight, see what’s going on, but please, don’t push her. Please.”

The begging in such a heartfelt manner was not something he was used too, normally Carlos kept his composure and just asked nicely.

“I won’t Los, I promise.” If he didn’t want him to push though, he wouldn’t, not now, not when it involved something so sensitive. “I just want her to know that she doesn’t have to keep hiding.”

Carlos nodded his head as he sighed.

“I’ll make sure to tell her that.” And then he was turning away from him, making his way toward the stairs as he raised his shoulders up and down a few times before turning back to face him. “I’m really sorry it came down to this TK.”

“It’s okay.” He wasn’t mad, not at Carlos and not at Michelle, his dad, yes, maybe, but he wasn’t mad at the man standing before him. “I just want things to be okay.”

“They will be.” And then his fiancé was disappearing up the stairs, more than likely toward their bedroom where he most certainly would be texting the woman in question.

TK felt all the energy leave his body as he was left alone in the kitchen, silence surrounding him as all the emotions set in.

This wasn’t how he expected today to go at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michelle knows that TK is onto her, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

The whole weekend had been a disaster if you asked Michelle.

First her flight had been delayed and she had had to Uber to her mom’s house because she had a meeting that she couldn’t miss.

Then Westley had gotten away from her and panic had set in, complete and utter fear gripping her body when she turned around and the boy was just simply, gone.

She had taken off in the direction that she suspected he had gone, toward the slides of course, and sure enough, she had found him.

But he wasn’t alone and her heart had stopped beating in her chest when familiar brown eyes had met hers.

TK Strand stood before her with her son in his arms and her entire world had come crashing down around her.

This wasn’t how this was supposed to happen.

She hadn’t prepared for this at all.

But there they were, two former friends turned strangers staring each other down on a hot August afternoon, her heart racing in her chest as she stumbled over what to say.

He acted as if it was nothing though, as if the boy in his arms wasn’t the spitting image of him, as if he hadn’t just realized what exactly was going on.

Wes had blabbered on and on about the man that had helped him, talking about how nice he was and how he said he was paramedic.

Michelle thought it was funny that Carlos had left that part out of the millions of conversations they had had over the past three years.

She had gotten the boy back to her mom’s house, cleaning him up and laying him down for a nap while she tried to sort through the thoughts in her head.

Would TK tell his dad that he had seen her?

Would he tell him that he had also seen Wes?

It was pretty damn obvious of the connection between them all, and TK was smart enough to put the pieces together, of that she was certain.

She had just laid down on the couch when she heard her phone buzz on the table and she sighed.

What could it possibly be now?

_We need to talk!_

She rolled her eyes at Carlos’ text.

She took that to mean that TK had told him about their run-in at the park earlier.

_Did TK talk to you?_

Of course he did, she wasn’t stupid, she knew that he would go to Carlos first, he always did.

_Yes. And he’s freaking out._

She couldn’t say she blamed him, she was freaking out too.

_Is he gonna tell Owen?_

She held her breath as three little dots flashed at the bottom of the screen.

_I don’t think so. But you need to talk to him Michelle._

She let out a breath, she wanted to do no such thing.

_Not yet._

It’s not that it mattered, she needed to, it was inevitable now, surely TK wouldn’t keep this a secret forever.

Nor did Owen deserve to keep this hidden from him for much longer.

She already felt horrible about the past three years being kept a secret.

_Michelle… I mean it. This has gone on long enough._

He was right, Carlos was always right.

_I don’t know what to say._

I mean, it was obvious what she had to tell him.

But how did she tell him that keeping it from him for the past three years had just kind of… happened?

He would surely be mad.

_The truth. Please Michelle._

She let out a huff as she laid her head back against the cushions.

This day was just not going according to plan.

_Fine._

It was now or never anyway.

_Why are you even here? You swore you’d never come back._

Yeah, she had hadn’t she?

_It’s a long story Carlos…_

She hoped that that meant he wouldn’t pry, but she doubted it.

_You two had better be prepared to come over tomorrow. You and TK can talk. And then you and I can talk._

She hated it when he put his foot down.

_Can’t I leave Wes here?_

Not that she didn’t want to bring the boy with her, he loved his Uncle Carlos after all.

But the idea of seeing him and TK together made her heart hurt.

She hated that she had kept the boy from his brother almost as much as she hated that she had kept him from his father.

_That’s up to you Michelle. But I’d like to see him. I know TK wouldn’t mind…_

Of course he wouldn’t.

_Fine. 10 work?_

She couldn’t believe she was going to do this.

She couldn’t believe that she was finally going to put this all out in the open for everyone to see and judge and talk about.

She hated being the center of attention, but when it was negative, damn she hated that even more.

_We’ll be here._

She was almost certain that she wasn’t going to sleep tonight now either, her brain already trying to come up with the right things to say to TK, the things that would make this sting a little less.

But she didn’t know what those words would be or how she’d say them.

She just prayed that they’d come to her before tomorrow morning.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave comments, kudos, or the like. They’re definitely appreciated <3


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